Trishna Kelly was born joined at the head with her sister Krishna. The twins were brought to Australia by humanitarian powerhouse Moira Kelly, where they spent months in Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital undergoing a series of operations to separate them. Moira later adopted the girls, who call her Mum.
Inspired by the work of Mother Teresa, Moira has dedicated her life to helping the most vulnerable—whether in war zones, refugee camps or hospitals. At 18, Trishna is both a typical teenage girl and an extraordinarily kind-hearted young adult who loves and is loved by her mum. Their home has long been a place of refuge and care for children from across the globe needing complex medical support.
Trishna
I don’t remember being a baby, but I do know that people were there for us during our tough times, especially my mum, Moira. She took us into her care and brought us here for a second chance. Look where we are now!
We had a 10-year anniversary (of the 2009 marathon operation to separate the conjoined twins) and everyone came. It felt like a thousand people who knew us really well. And it just got me understanding how big it was and how far I’ve come.
It was very emotional because going through something like that is pretty incredible. It makes me grateful every day for where I am.
What I can remember from my childhood times would be where we lived. We used to live in Maidstone until I was six. The we moved to be close to a hospital for my sister, because she has medical needs, in case anything happens.
She’s got room for everybody.
I’m in Year 12 now [at a Catholic secondary college]. This year I’m studying English, religion, food tech, health and personal development. I’d like to work at disability schools or be a learning support officer. It’s like a teacher’s aide for students, one-on-one to do things with them, to help them in many ways. And also, maybe I would like to go to ACU and do a course on youth work and community development.
I want to work in community and social services after, I guess, living here and my mum bringing so many other people into our care and our life. And it just got me an understanding that maybe, since I’ve grown up with so many people and especially my sister, I think I have that nature and ability to do that in the outside world too.
When new people come to live here, at the start I can be like, ‘Who are you?’ But I’m pretty good with new people, and I’m not afraid because I’m used to it. Whatever medical need they need, I’m glad they’re having [it met], I’m glad my mum’s doing it for good reasons. She’s got room for everybody—well a lot of people—and that’s very good.
My mum inspires me ... I’m understanding of people’s needs, and that’s what my mum does, but she does it much bigger!
I’m coming to the stage of being old enough to talk to her about more things and get to do more things with her that I could not do at a younger age. I can spend more time with her and have a more adult conversation.
I have a very good relationship with my mum and I’m really happy about. I’m really happy.
My mum inspires me. I go to disability schools, and I like to help. I’m understanding of people’s needs, and that’s what my mum does, but she does it much bigger!
What I admire most about my mum is how caring she is and how loving she is towards Krishna, what she did, what she’s gone through for us and what she’s sacrificed for us. I couldn’t ask for more.
Moira
The first time I ever saw Trishna and Krishna was in a private hospital in [the Bangladesh capital] Dhaka. I just remember seeing the two in the bed and they were the tiniest little things. You just sort of melted. They were Trishna and Krissy: always two.
Trishna’s sister, Krissy, was the tiniest; she was just so malnourished. Trishna was like a normal toddler baby, chubby legs and all that. She was such a happy, very lively, happy baby. Just loved attention—she’d lap it up.
She was ... always full of life and just loved everything.
Our relationship evolved into one of mother and daughter. I suppose I was just trying to give her a life like a normal little girl. So I got her into kindergarten a couple of days a week, so she’d meet other kids, because she was always with her sister. At that stage, we started realising Krissy had special needs.
Trishy just loved life, and she was a real girly girl, the opposite of myself and Krishna. She just always loved making friends, so eager to have friends her age. She was always a little bit behind other kids because, as her neurosurgeon said (after the operation when the twins were two), ‘Development starts now.’
I didn’t really take that on board at first. It wasn’t until she was in Grade 4, I realised she was quite different to the other kids socially. She was a bit more innocent. That’s been her only challenge because medically she’s been great. You just want your kid to be happy and to have a friend, you know?
She was a very sensitive child, but always full of life and just loved everything. Anything you did, she got so excited about, and she’s still very much like that today: everything is ‘Oh, it’s going to be so much fun!’
We’ve always done lots of things together. She’s been involved in lots of sports, so I usually take her every Saturday morning to the sports, and we’d all jump in the car and watch her.
She’s probably matured a lot more in the last maybe two years, so we’ve got pretty close. We talk about everything, and we share everything. I do try to give her a lot of freedom because she’s sort of used to being always protected. I’m trying to step back a bit.
Siblings of children with special needs ... have got incredible empathy.
Apart from being mum and daughter—she’s got two mums of course [Trishna’s birth mother now lives in Melbourne]—we are probably more friends these days. You know, I used to always call my mum when something happened, but Trishie would do that straight away, every afternoon.
But I am a mother. There are some things, I’ll say, that she just knows not to even ask me: it’s absolutely a no. But she’ll just try you out. Like she showed me these outfits on her computer that she wants for a show she’s going to. And I said, ‘Now what parent would let a kid wear that?’ She rolled her eyes and walked off. Sometimes I feel like I’m saying these things my parents used to say to me.
We do have a lot of things in common, a similar sense of humour. I often confide in her, and we support each other. She comes to every doctor’s appointment with me for Krishna. She’s very protective of Krissy, and sometimes her sister will listen to her better than she will me, because Krissy knows I’ve got a soft spot for her.
I don’t know if Trishna’s desire to work with disabled people is inspired by me. She could be inspired by her sister. I think she realises some people are nervous of her sister or nervous of people with disability, but this is so normal to her. I’ve often said siblings of children with special needs are pretty unique individuals because they’ve got incredible empathy.
To see the young woman she’s becoming, that beautiful protectiveness of her sister, that pure love and devotion. It’s intrinsically come from her heart.
My hopes for her future are friends and travel, although not to the places I went to. No way.
I just want her to be happy. She’s such fun, and she’s one of the loveliest human beings you’ll ever meet in your life. She’s just a ball of happiness.
To see the young woman she’s becoming, that beautiful protectiveness of her sister, that pure love and devotion. It’s intrinsically come from her heart. Sometimes I want to cry and think, ‘Trishy, that was so nice, but you’re just being you, Trishna.’
